35 Wedding Entrance Songs for the Couple, the Wedding Party and the Parents
Caleb Turner · Head Songwriter & Creative Director
Updated September 15, 2026 · 35 min read
The best wedding entrance songs have a hook inside the first five seconds: "September" by Earth, Wind & Fire for a room that runs from toddlers to grandparents, "Uptown Funk" for a couple who wants to strut, "Fancy Like" for a country crowd, and "A Thousand Years" if you would rather glide in than run. Everything below is sorted by that job.
An entrance is not one moment but several. The parents come in, then the bridesmaids and groomsmen, then the two of you, and each of those walks wants a different energy. So the thirty-five songs here sit in seven groups: grand anthems for the couple, modern pop and hip-hop, songs for the wedding party, country, rock and tongue-in-cheek picks, songs for parents and grandparents, and softer processional choices for anyone who wants the aisle rather than the ballroom. Every note says who the song suits and, just as usefully, when it is the wrong call.
One thing we have learned from writing entrance songs to order: first drafts almost always save the couple's names for the chorus, which arrives around forty-five seconds in, and by then the two of you are already at the head table. An entrance lasts about as long as it takes to cross the floor, so the part that matters has to land in the first eight bars. That same test is the fastest way to judge the borrowed songs on this page: start each one and ask whether the room would know what is happening before you are three steps through the door.
Grand-entrance anthems that land on the first bar
1.September — Earth, Wind & Fire (1978)
"September" by Earth, Wind & Fire is the entrance song to pick when the room runs from flower girls to great-grandparents and you need every one of them standing before you reach the dance floor. Maurice White wrote it with Al McKay and Allee Willis, and it reached number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1979, which is why three generations at the same reception recognize the horn stabs within a second. That instant recognition is the whole job of an entrance song: nobody has to be told to clap. Ask your DJ to start it at the top rather than fading it in, because the opening is already the peak and the doors should swing on it. The one risk is how often it gets played. Wrong pick if you want guests talking about your song choice afterwards; reach for "You Make My Dreams" by Hall & Oates instead, which has the same warmth and turns up far less often.
2.Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours — Stevie Wonder (1970)
"Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" by Stevie Wonder suits the couple whose families were raised on Motown and who want the title itself to announce what just happened at the ceremony. Released in 1970, it climbed to number three on the Hot 100 and was the first single Wonder produced himself, written with Syreeta Wright, Lee Garrett and his mother, Lula Mae Hardaway. The guitar opening gives a DJ a clean cue point, and the mid-tempo shuffle is easy to walk to in heels, which matters more than people expect on a polished reception floor. It also plays well with older guests who find modern hype tracks loud rather than fun, while younger guests still know it from films and campaign rallies. Wrong pick if your crowd is mostly college friends waiting for a drop and a bass line they can feel; reach for "Uptown Funk" instead, which borrows the same horn-and-funk swagger over a much harder beat.
3.Celebration — Kool & The Gang (1980)
"Celebration" by Kool & the Gang is the right entrance when you want the reception to feel like a party from the first second rather than a formal introduction. Produced by Eumir Deodato, it reached number one on the Hot 100 in early 1981, and that same winter it was played across the country as the American hostages came home from Iran, which is part of why it still sounds like collective relief. At a wedding, that history translates into a room that knows exactly what to do: sing, clap and drift toward the floor. It works for the full wedding party walking in together as well as for the couple alone. Wrong pick if you have planned something tender straight after you arrive, such as a blessing or a toast, because it leaves the room too loud to settle; reach for "This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)" instead, which lifts a crowd without shouting at it.
4.This Will Be (An Everlasting Love) — Natalie Cole (1975)
"This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)" by Natalie Cole fits couples who want an entrance that is joyful and plainly romantic at once, with nothing in it that reads as a party-only anthem. Written by Chuck Jackson and Marvin Yancy, it was her debut single in 1975, reached number six on the Hot 100, topped the R&B chart and won her the Grammy for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. The tempo is quick but not frantic, so you can walk in hand in hand rather than jog, and her vocal carries enough delight that guests start smiling before they start dancing. It is a particularly good choice when the couple's parents are the ones most likely to be first on their feet, and it sits comfortably between a soul-heavy cocktail hour and dinner. Wrong pick if you want a choreographed, hit-the-beat arrival with your whole wedding party; reach for "Can't Hold Us" instead, whose long build gives a group a clear moment to land a move together.
5.Ain't No Mountain High Enough — Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell (1967)
"Ain't No Mountain High Enough" by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell makes the most sense as an entrance when the two of you like the idea of walking in as a pair who answer each other, rather than a couple being announced. Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson wrote it, Gaye and Terrell took it to number nineteen on the Hot 100 in 1967, and Diana Ross turned it into a slower-building number one in 1970, so check which version your DJ has queued. The 1967 recording is the entrance cut: a short intro, bright call and response, and a tempo that makes a confident walk feel natural. Some couples split it, one partner coming through the doors on the first verse and the other following on the reply. Wrong pick if you want a big dramatic crescendo, which the Ross version delivers only after a long spoken build; reach for "The Best" by Tina Turner instead for arena-sized lift.
6.The Best — Tina Turner (1989)
"The Best" by Tina Turner is the entrance for a couple happy to be a little over the top, where the song is essentially a whole room cheering one person on. The songwriting team of Mike Chapman and Holly Knight gave it to Bonnie Tyler first, in 1988, but Turner's recording a year later is the one everybody knows, later adopted as the anthem of an Australian rugby league campaign. That sporting afterlife is exactly why it works here: people already connect it with a walk-out and a crowd on its feet. Cue it just before the first full chorus so the doors open on the lift, and expect guests to point at your new spouse while they sing along. It suits bold personalities and big rooms. Wrong pick if one of you hates being the center of attention, because the song demands a bit of a performance; reach for "Here Comes the Sun" instead, which lets you arrive without having to put on a show.
Modern pop and hip-hop to strut in to
7.Uptown Funk — Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars (2014)
"Uptown Funk" by Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars is the safest modern pick when the guest list skews under forty but you still need the older relatives on side. It spent fourteen weeks at number one on the Hot 100 in 2015 and won the Grammy for Record of the Year, and its sound borrows so openly from 1980s funk that parents hear something familiar underneath the polish. The start-stop groove is ideal for a wedding party entrance, since each pair can freeze on a break and move on the next hit, and the couple can come through last on the biggest section. Tell the DJ exactly which break you want the doors to open on, because the song has several. Wrong pick if you want a surprise, since it has become a reception fixture that many of your guests will have heard at other weddings; reach for "24K Magic" or "Can't Hold Us" instead for the same energy with fewer repeats.
8.24K Magic — Bruno Mars (2016)
"24K Magic" by Bruno Mars is the entrance for a couple who dressed to be looked at and wants a song that walks in with the same attitude. Mars wrote it with Philip Lawrence and Christopher Brody Brown, released it in 2016 as the lead single of the album of the same name, and it won the Grammy for Record of the Year in 2018. The talk-box intro builds tension for several seconds before the beat drops, which gives a DJ an unusually clear place to swing the doors, and the swagger suits a slow, confident walk better than a sprint. It pairs well with a tuxedo-and-sequins crowd or a black-tie reception that still intends to dance until the lights come up. Wrong pick if your family is conservative about lyrics, since it leans into bragging and nightlife imagery; reach for "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" instead, which carries the same funk with words you can play in front of anyone at the table.
9.Crazy in Love — Beyoncé feat. Jay-Z (2003)
"Crazy in Love" by Beyoncé featuring Jay-Z is the pick for a bride, or a couple, who wants the entrance to feel like a headline act arriving on stage. The famous horn riff is sampled from the Chi-Lites' 1970 song "Are You My Woman (Tell Me So)," and the track held number one on the Hot 100 for eight weeks in 2003, so the first two seconds are enough for the whole room to know what is coming. The two performers married in 2008, which gives the song a quiet backstory that suits a newlywed walk-in. Have the DJ start it on the horns rather than the talking at the top, so the doors open on the blast and not on a pause. Wrong pick if your crowd leans older and country, where a rap verse can land as noise rather than fun; reach for "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!" instead, which gives a bride the same show-stopping swagger in a style that room already loves.
10.Yeah! — Usher feat. Lil Jon & Ludacris (2004)
"Yeah!" by Usher featuring Lil Jon and Ludacris is the entrance for a wedding party that came of age in the 2000s and wants the friends' walk-in to feel like a club-night reunion. It spent twelve weeks at number one on the Hot 100 in 2004 and finished as the top song on Billboard's year-end chart, and the synth hook is recognizable from the first bar. It works best for groomsmen and bridesmaids coming in pair by pair with a little rehearsed choreography, then handing off to something bigger for the couple. Be honest about the lyrics, which are about meeting a stranger in a club rather than about marriage; most guests will never notice, but a church-hall reception with grandparents in the front row might. Wrong pick for the couple's own entrance if the families are traditional; reach for "Celebration" instead, which is every bit as loud and entirely clean.
11.Can't Hold Us — Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Ray Dalton (2012)
"Can't Hold Us" by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring Ray Dalton is the song for an entrance that builds, stalls for a beat and then explodes, which makes it ideal for a choreographed walk-in. Taken from The Heist in 2012, it reached number one on the Hot 100 in 2013 and stayed there for five weeks, and Ray Dalton's soaring sung hook gives guests who never listen to rap something to hold on to. The long run-up means you can send the wedding party in during the verse and time the couple's arrival to the chorus, so the loudest moment belongs to the two of you. It suits active, outdoorsy couples and anyone who wants the energy of a sports walk-out without choosing an actual sports song. Wrong pick if you only want thirty seconds of music, because the payoff takes a while to arrive; reach for "September" instead, which is at full height from its opening bars.
Wedding party entrance songs for bridesmaids and groomsmen
12.Shut Up and Dance — Walk the Moon (2014)
"Shut Up and Dance" by Walk the Moon is a strong wedding party entrance because it is fast, clean and built on a true story about a dance floor. Frontman Nicholas Petricca has said it came from a night at a Los Angeles club when, grumpy after a bad writing session, his girlfriend told him to stop sulking and dance with her; the single peaked at number four on the Hot 100 in 2015. The driving tempo gives each pair of bridesmaids and groomsmen only a few seconds, which keeps a long introduction moving, and the chorus is familiar enough that guests start singing while the group is still coming through the doors. Its 1980s synth sound also bridges ages better than most 2010s pop. Wrong pick for the couple's own moment if you want your song to feel like yours, since it will already have played for your friends; switch to "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" for your entrance instead.
13.Best Day of My Life — American Authors (2013)
"Best Day of My Life" by American Authors earns its spot for wedding parties who want a big, simple, stomping sing-along with nothing anyone needs to explain. The Brooklyn-based band's single reached number eleven on the Hot 100 in 2014 and was licensed for a string of television commercials, which is why guests who could not name the band still know the chorus. The banjo-and-handclap rhythm is forgiving for groups who are not natural dancers, since walking in on the beat is all the choreography it asks for. Use it to bring in the entire wedding party at once, or the parents, and then cut to your own track. It is especially good at outdoor and barn venues, where a heavy club beat can feel out of place against string lights and hay bales. Wrong pick if you want something with swagger or edge; reach for "Can't Hold Us" instead, which has a similar build but far more attitude.
14.I Gotta Feeling — The Black Eyed Peas (2009)
"I Gotta Feeling" by the Black Eyed Peas is the wedding party entrance for a group that wants a slow build and one clean moment to land together. Co-produced by David Guetta, it spent fourteen weeks at number one on the Hot 100 in 2009 and became one of the best-selling digital singles of its era. The structure is its advantage: the first minute layers up gradually, so a DJ can send pairs in during the build and have the entire party hit the floor at the moment the beat fully arrives. The theme is a great night out with friends rather than love, which is exactly why it belongs to the bridesmaids and groomsmen and not to the couple. Wrong pick if your reception runs to a strict timeline and the DJ cannot trim it, because the full intro runs long; reach for "Raise Your Glass" instead, which gets to the point in seconds.
15.Can't Stop the Feeling! — Justin Timberlake (2016)
"Can't Stop the Feeling!" by Justin Timberlake is the right entrance when the youngest guests are part of the show, since it was written for the animated film Trolls and is as familiar to seven-year-olds as to their parents. Timberlake wrote it with Max Martin and Shellback, it debuted at number one on the Hot 100 in May 2016, and it earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song. Use it for flower girls, ring bearers and junior attendants, or for the whole family crossing the floor together, because it is bright from start to finish with nothing a parent needs to worry about. The disco bass line gets grandparents moving too, so it works in a room where ages are spread wide. Wrong pick if the couple wants to look cool rather than cheerful, because it reads as sweet more than stylish; reach for "24K Magic" instead for a walk-in with sharper edges.
16.Raise Your Glass — P!nk (2010)
"Raise Your Glass" by P!nk is a natural for the wedding party entrance because it is essentially a toast set to a stomping beat, handing the room a reason to lift a drink as your friends arrive. P!nk wrote it with Max Martin and Shellback for her 2010 collection Greatest Hits... So Far!!!, and it went to number one on the Hot 100 that December. The song celebrates misfits and loyal friends, so it suits a bridal party that is closer to a chosen family than a line of matching outfits, and it works for a mixed-gender crew walking in together. It is quick, so every pair gets a moment without the introduction dragging. Wrong pick if children or a religious officiant will be at the reception, since the lyrics include language some families will not want played out loud; reach for "Best Day of My Life" instead, which delivers the same shout-along with nothing to bleep.
17.Marry You — Bruno Mars (2010)
"Marry You" by Bruno Mars is a wedding party favorite because the title does the introducing for you and the handclap opening sounds like a room already applauding. Written by Mars and his Smeezingtons partners Philip Lawrence and Ari Levine, it sat on the first Bruno Mars album, Doo-Wops & Hooligans (2010), and although it was never a major American single, a Glee cover that same year and a wave of viral proposal videos turned it into a wedding standard. The bright, chiming arrangement works for bridesmaids and groomsmen arriving together, or for a flash-mob moment later in the night. One honest caution: the song is about a spontaneous, slightly reckless proposal rather than a considered commitment, which some couples find funny and others find off-message on the day they made it official. Wrong pick if you want a lyric that sounds like a vow; reach for "This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)" instead.
Country wedding entrance songs
18.Fancy Like — Walker Hayes (2021)
"Fancy Like" by Walker Hayes is the country entrance for couples who want the room laughing and dancing at once, and who would rather be down to earth than glamorous. Hayes wrote it with Cameron Bartolini, Josh Jenkins and Shane Stevens, and a TikTok dance he filmed with his daughter Lela pushed it to number three on the Hot 100 in 2021, followed by an Applebee's commercial built around its restaurant references. That dance is the trick: plenty of guests already know the moves, so a wedding party can do them while walking in, and the couple can join the last eight counts. It fits barns, backyards and any reception serving barbecue, and it pulls younger cousins onto the floor who would otherwise sit out a country set. Wrong pick for a formal ballroom where jokes about a chain-restaurant menu will feel out of place; reach for "Chattahoochee" instead, which keeps the country feel while sounding at home in any room.
19.Wagon Wheel — Darius Rucker (2013)
"Wagon Wheel" by Darius Rucker is the entrance song for a crowd that sings in the car, since nearly every country fan knows the chorus by heart. The song has an unusual history: Bob Dylan sketched the chorus in 1973, Ketch Secor of Old Crow Medicine Show finished the verses decades later, and Rucker's 2013 version topped the country chart and won the Grammy for Best Country Solo Performance. The steady, loping groove is comfortable to walk to, and the moment the chorus hits, the whole room becomes your choir. It works especially well for a couple walking in together with a relaxed wave rather than choreography, and for weddings where half the guests went to college in the South. Wrong pick if you want high-energy dancing straight away, because it is more of a sing-along than a floor-filler; reach for "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!" instead to get the dance floor moving the second you arrive.
20.Man! I Feel Like a Woman! — Shania Twain (1999)
"Man! I Feel Like a Woman!" by Shania Twain is the bride's entrance of choice at country-leaning weddings, and it works just as well for a bridesmaid squad walking in ahead of her. Co-written with her then-husband and producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange for Come On Over, it became a 1999 single and earned Twain a Grammy the following February, for Best Female Country Vocal Performance. The shouted opening is one of the most recognizable starts in country music, so the doors should open on it, not a few seconds after. It suits confident, playful brides and receptions where the dancing will run late, and it gets a reaction even from guests who claim not to like country. Wrong pick for a groom-led or couple-together entrance, because the song is entirely about a night out with the girls and leaves a partner walking in beside it with nothing to do; reach for "Wagon Wheel" instead, which belongs to both of you.
21.Chattahoochee — Alan Jackson (1993)
"Chattahoochee" by Alan Jackson suits the country couple who grew up on 1990s radio and wants an entrance that sounds like a summer on the river rather than a nightclub. Jackson wrote it with Jim McBride, it spent four weeks at number one on the country chart in 1993, and the Country Music Association named it both its single and its song of 1993. The quick two-step rhythm makes it easy to walk in hand in hand and turn the last few bars into your first spin as a married couple, and it pulls parents and friends to their feet at the same time. It is also short enough that the entrance never drags, even with a long announcement from the DJ before it. Wrong pick if the other family knows nothing about country music, where it may land as a regional in-joke; reach for "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" instead as the song both sides of the aisle share.
Rock and tongue-in-cheek entrances
22.Crazy Little Thing Called Love — Queen (1979)
"Crazy Little Thing Called Love" by Queen is the rock entrance for couples who want something playful and retro, with a rockabilly swing that sounds like a 1950s dance hall. Freddie Mercury has said he wrote it in a matter of minutes while in the bath at a Munich hotel, and the 1979 single gave Queen its first number one on the Hot 100, in early 1980. At under three minutes, with a stop-start rhythm and handclaps built in, it is easy to walk, twirl and wave to, and it draws in guests who find heavier rock too much. It is an especially good fit for vintage-themed weddings, rockabilly couples and anyone whose grandparents met at a dance. It also makes a neat handoff from a wedding party entrance on a louder pop song. Wrong pick if you want a massive arena-rock moment with the whole room shouting; reach for "Don't Stop Me Now" instead, which trades the swing for pure speed.
23.Don't Stop Me Now — Queen (1978)
"Don't Stop Me Now" by Queen is the entrance for couples who want the evening to feel like it is accelerating from the moment they walk in. Freddie Mercury wrote it for the 1978 album Jazz, and although it only reached number nine in the UK on release, it has long since outgrown that chart peak, helped by a famous scene in the 2004 film Shaun of the Dead. The piano opening is slow and almost tender before the band kicks in, so ask the DJ to open the doors on the first full band entry rather than on the piano. Be aware that the lyric celebrates a wild, hedonistic night, not a love story, so it suits couples with a strong sense of humor and a guest list that will not overthink it. Wrong pick if you want to walk in slowly and take in the room; reach for "Beautiful Day" instead, which feels enormous at a walking pace.
24.Eye of the Tiger — Survivor (1982)
"Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor is the tongue-in-cheek entrance for a couple who wants guests laughing as the doors open, and for a groom who can pull off a boxer's walk-in. Jim Peterik and Frankie Sullivan wrote it at Sylvester Stallone's request for Rocky III, and it held number one on the Hot 100 for six weeks in 1982 and later picked up a Grammy for the band. The guitar riff is so tied to training montages that shadow-boxing, a satin robe or a mock title belt all get an immediate laugh. Use it for a couple who met at a gym, a sports-mad wedding party, or a playful groom's entrance before the bride arrives on something sincere. Wrong pick if the moment is meant to be romantic, because the joke is the whole point; reach for "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" instead for an entrance that is fun and heartfelt at the same time.
25.You're the One That I Want — John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John (1978)
"You're the One That I Want" by John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John is the duet entrance for couples willing to act out a scene, one partner strutting in first and the other answering. John Farrar wrote it for the 1978 film version of Grease, and it reached number one on the Hot 100 that June and spent nine weeks at number one in the UK. Nearly everyone at the reception knows the choreography from the carnival finale, so even a half-hearted imitation earns cheers, and the wedding party can play the rest of the cast behind you. It is perfect for theater people, couples who met doing shows, and receptions with a playful 1950s or retro theme. Keep it to the first chorus so the bit stays funny rather than turning into a full performance. Wrong pick if one of you would be mortified performing in front of a hundred people; reach for "Here Comes the Sun" instead and simply walk in together.
26.Beautiful Day — U2 (2000)
"Beautiful Day" by U2 is the rock entrance for couples who want lift and grandeur rather than a dance beat, especially at an outdoor or daylight reception. The 2000 single opened All That You Can't Leave Behind and won three Grammys, including Song of the Year and Record of the Year, and Bono has described it as a song about someone who has lost everything but still finds joy in what remains, which gives it real weight beneath the chiming guitar. That ringing opening lets the doors swing without any awkward silence, and the chorus arrives early enough to cross the room on it. It suits couples who have been through a hard stretch together, whether illness, distance or loss, and want the entrance to mark coming out the other side. Wrong pick if your guests want to dance immediately, because it soars rather than grooves; reach for "Can't Hold Us" instead for lift with a real beat under it.
Songs for the parents' and grandparents' entrance
27.We Are Family — Sister Sledge (1979)
"We Are Family" by Sister Sledge is the go-to entrance for introducing parents and grandparents, because the title turns a formal announcement into a welcome for two families becoming one. The four Sledge sisters from Philadelphia recorded it with Chic's Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards writing and producing, and it reached number two on the Hot 100 in 1979. The groove is gentle enough for anyone to walk to, including a grandparent with a cane, and older guests often start singing before the parents have reached their table. It also works as a blended-family moment, bringing stepparents, half-siblings and in-laws in together so nobody is ranked by the order of the announcement. Ask the DJ to fade it once the last family member is seated rather than letting it run. Wrong pick for the couple's own entrance, since the song is about kinship rather than romance; save it for the generation before you and reach for "This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)" when it is your turn.
28.L-O-V-E — Nat King Cole (1964)
"L-O-V-E" by Nat King Cole is a charming entrance for grandparents, a long-married couple of honor, or parents who deserve their own moment before yours. Bert Kaempfert and Milt Gabler wrote it, and Cole recorded it in 1964 for the album of the same name, the last released in his lifetime, weeks before his death in February 1965. The bouncy, brass-led swing is short and gracious, walkable at any age and familiar from films such as the 1998 remake of The Parent Trap, so even guests who could not name it smile at the spelled-out title. It is a lovely way to honor grandparents married fifty years walking in arm in arm, and it sets a warm tone for the speeches that often follow. Wrong pick for a young wedding party that wants energy, where it will feel like cocktail-hour background music; reach for "Celebration" instead once the older generation is seated.
29.Sweet Caroline — Neil Diamond (1969)
"Sweet Caroline" by Neil Diamond is the entrance that turns a reception into a stadium in seconds, which makes it ideal for parents who want to arrive to a roar. Released in 1969, it peaked at number four on the Hot 100, and Diamond has said a magazine photo of a young Caroline Kennedy gave him the title, though he later explained the song itself was written about his then-wife, Marcia. Boston Red Sox fans have sung it at Fenway Park for more than two decades, which is why guests of every age already know where to shout along. Use it when the parents are big personalities, or when a sports-loving family needs the stiffness of a formal hall broken early. Wrong pick if you want a clean, quick walk-in, because the crowd will stop to sing the chorus and the parents will stop with them; reach for "L-O-V-E" instead for a tidy, gracious arrival.
30.You Make My Dreams — Daryl Hall & John Oates (1980)
"You Make My Dreams" by Daryl Hall & John Oates is a warm, slightly unexpected entrance that works for the parents of the couple, or for the couple themselves when the guest list spans several generations. Hall wrote it with Oates and Sara Allen for the 1980 album Voices, and it reached number five on the Hot 100 in 1981. Its revival in the 2009 film (500) Days of Summer, soundtracking a joyful dance through a park, gave it a second life with younger guests, so both ends of the room recognize it. The bouncing keyboard riff starts immediately, which keeps the doors-open timing easy for a DJ who has never met you, and the tempo lets parents wave to friends without rushing. Wrong pick if you need a big, brassy crescendo to announce your arrival; reach for "The Best" instead, which sells a grand entrance much harder.
Softer entrances and processional picks
31.A Thousand Years — Christina Perri (2011)
"A Thousand Years" by Christina Perri is the modern processional standard for an aisle walk, and it doubles as a gentle reception entrance when you want tears rather than a roar. Written by Perri and David Hodges for the 2011 soundtrack of the fourth Twilight film, Breaking Dawn – Part 1, it has since been certified diamond in the United States. The slow piano-and-strings build lets a bride walk at a measured pace, and the long introduction can be trimmed to match the length of the aisle so the first chorus lands as she reaches the front. It also plays beautifully as a string quartet or solo piano arrangement if the ceremony is acoustic. Wrong pick for a reception entrance if dinner is followed straight by dancing, since it will drop exactly the energy you need; reach for "Everything" by Michael Bublé instead, which is soft but still smiles.
32.Here Comes the Sun — The Beatles (1969)
"Here Comes the Sun" by the Beatles is the processional or entrance for couples who want calm happiness, especially at an outdoor ceremony. George Harrison wrote it in Eric Clapton's garden in 1969, on a spring day he skipped a business meeting at Apple, and it opened the second side of Abbey Road. It has become the most streamed Beatles song on Spotify, and its bright acoustic guitar is instantly familiar without demanding attention. The tempo is a relaxed stroll, perfect for an aisle walk, a garden recessional, or a couple who wants to arrive quietly and greet guests one table at a time. It also translates well to a single acoustic guitar if you have a musician friend. Wrong pick if your venue is a dark ballroom at nine at night, where the sunlit mood feels mismatched; reach for "All You Need Is Love" instead, which works in any light and any room.
33.Marry Me — Train (2009)
"Marry Me" by Train is an unhurried, earnest ballad that suits a processional or a low-key entrance, and the title names the occasion in plain words. Pat Monahan wrote it with Sam Hollander and Dave Katz for the band's 2009 album Save Me, San Francisco, and it was released as a single in October 2010, becoming the album's third top-40 hit on the Hot 100. The gentle acoustic arrangement gives an aisle walk a steady, slow pulse, and the melody sits comfortably in a string quartet or solo guitar version at ceremony venues with strict volume limits. It is a good choice for couples whose families would find a pop anthem too loud for a church or a chapel. Wrong pick for a reception entrance that needs the room on its feet, because its whole character is stillness; reach for "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" instead once the ceremony is over and the party is ready to begin.
34.Everything — Michael Bublé (2007)
"Everything" by Michael Bublé suits a relaxed entrance, a first look or a processional for couples who want romance with a grin rather than tears. Released in 2007 to launch the album Call Me Irresponsible, it was a three-way writing session between Bublé, Amy Foster-Gillies and Alan Chang, and its subject was Emily Blunt, the actress he was dating then. The breezy mid-tempo swing is easy to stroll to, and it charms grandparents and friends equally, which makes it a peacemaker when two families disagree on musical taste. It also works well for a second marriage or a vow renewal, where a pop anthem can feel too young and a slow ballad too solemn. Keep the cue to the opening bars so you are through the doors before the first chorus. Wrong pick if you plan to hit the dance floor the second you arrive; reach for "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" instead, which keeps a vintage flavor but moves faster.
35.All You Need Is Love — The Beatles (1967)
"All You Need Is Love" by the Beatles is the processional or recessional for a couple who wants a simple, universal message and a song every generation knows. John Lennon wrote it for Our World, the first live global satellite television broadcast, on June 25, 1967, when the band performed it to an audience estimated in the hundreds of millions, and it went to number one in both the UK and the US. The march-like opening, which quotes a few bars of the French national anthem, makes it easy to walk in step, and the song swells naturally for the moment you turn to face your guests as a married couple. It is a good fit for couples whose ceremony is secular but who still want a sense of occasion. Wrong pick for the reception entrance if you want dancing, since it is anthemic rather than groovy; reach for "September" instead once you reach the party.
How to pick the right entrance song (and make it yours)
Decide who is walking in before you decide what they walk in to. Most receptions introduce three waves, the parents, the wedding party and then the couple, and the smartest playlists give each wave its own song and save the biggest hook for the last one. A parents' song can be gracious, a wedding party song can be silly, and the couple's song should be the one with the most instant lift, because the DJ is going to drop the needle on it at the exact second the doors open.
Then match the style to the room rather than to your own playlist. A Motown-and-brass family wants "September" or "Signed, Sealed, Delivered"; a stylish pair wants "24K Magic" or "Crazy in Love"; a barn full of boots wants "Fancy Like" or "Wagon Wheel", and if that same wedding is choosing its slow dance next, the old and new country slow dances we rounded up pick up exactly where the entrance leaves off. Couples who want the energy of an entrance song carried straight into the dance itself should look at the first dances that start quiet and then take off, since the handoff between the two songs is where many receptions lose momentum.
Here is the honest ceiling on every song above: none of them has your names in it. They carry the energy of the moment, but the words belong to Bruno Mars or Shania Twain, and to thousands of other couples who walked in to the same track. If you want to try writing something yourself, our walkthrough on turning your own story into a wedding song covers the entrance as well as the first dance. And if you would rather have the song made for you, with real vocals and your own story in the verses, that is exactly what our songwriters do.
- For a guaranteed room reaction: "September" or "Celebration", at full height from the opening bars.
- For a choreographed wedding party: "Can't Hold Us" or "I Gotta Feeling", both built around an obvious drop.
- For the parents: "We Are Family" or "L-O-V-E", warm, walkable and clean.
- For a song no other couple has: a custom entrance song with your names in the first eight bars.
Timing the entrance: cues, order and length
The difference between an entrance that feels like a film and one that feels like a fire drill is the cue point. Every song above has a moment worth opening the doors on, whether it is the horn stab in "Crazy in Love," the band kicking in on "Don't Stop Me Now" or the shouted start of "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!" Give your DJ or band leader the exact timestamp, not just the title, and if the venue allows it, walk through the doors once during setup with the music playing so the timing is rehearsed rather than guessed.
Order the waves from calm to loud. Parents first, on something gracious; the wedding party next, pair by pair, with the biggest personalities saved for last; then the two of you on the strongest hook of the night. Allow roughly ten to fifteen seconds per pair and sixty to ninety seconds for the couple, which is enough to cross the floor and land in the middle for a first spin but short enough that the energy never sags. If your first dance follows immediately, tell the DJ to cut rather than fade, so the room goes from a roar to silence to the first notes of your dance. Families planning the special dances later in the evening can find a slower contrast among the father-daughter dance songs and the mother-son dance picks, and a country-leaning family might borrow from the new list of country songs written about daughters.
- Send the DJ a timestamp for every song, not only the title.
- Parents, then wedding party, then the couple: calm to loud.
- Ten to fifteen seconds per pair; sixty to ninety for the couple.
- Cut, do not fade, if the first dance follows straight away.
Popular entrance songs that are secretly the wrong message
A handful of songs turn up on entrance lists because they are loud and familiar, not because of what they say, and it is worth knowing before a sharp-eared uncle points it out. "White Wedding" by Billy Idol has the right title and a great riff, but Idol has said the idea came partly from his sister's wedding while she was pregnant, and the song is a sneering take on a shotgun marriage. "Hey Ya!" by OutKast fills any floor, yet the story André 3000 tells in it is a relationship that keeps going out of fear of being alone long after the feeling has gone. "Mr. Brightside" by the Killers is a crowd-pleaser, and its story is a man tormented by jealousy as he pictures his girlfriend with someone else.
None of these will ruin a wedding, and plenty of couples play them later in the night with a knowing grin. The entrance, though, is the one song everyone hears with full attention, so it is worth choosing something whose words agree with the day. If you love one of them for its sound, the groups above have a match: "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" for a rock riff with a happy story, "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" for a floor-filling groove, "Can't Hold Us" for a shout-along that builds. And if you are revisiting your wedding soundtrack a year later, our anniversary songs are a good place to find the song for that first dinner out, while first dances almost nobody else plays is the list to read if the unexpected is what you are after.
Make your entrance song yours
Every song on this page can fill ninety loud seconds. But a borrowed entrance track goes straight back to being somebody else's hit the moment it ends, and it can never say your names, the town where you met or the joke that made half the guest list grin when the invitations arrived. Those specifics are what make an entrance something guests describe to each other years later.
That is what a custom song is for. You share your story in about five minutes, including how you met, what the road to this day looked like and the style you both love, whether soul, pop, country or acoustic. Real songwriters turn it into an original song with real vocals, written so the part that matters lands at the start rather than a minute in. The finished song lands within 24 hours on its own private page, where you can listen, download the file and forward it to the DJ, and couples use it for the entrance, the first dance or a surprise during dinner. Some go further and have one written as a song that simply says I love you for the morning of the wedding, or keep the idea for a later milestone like a vow renewal. Guests hunting for something to bring can find more options in our list of wedding gifts couples actually remember.